The Grenfell I Knew
by Alex A. Smith

Wilfred T. Grenfell was born in Parkgate, England, on February 28, 1865. He was one of four sons whose father was the owner and teacher of Mostyn House School. Grenfell would grow up to become one of the great humanitarians of our time.

Parkgate was a small fishing village near the town of Chester. Men went out in their boats to fish cod and salmon, while older men and women fished in the shallow waters of the basin for shrimps and mussels. As a young boy Grenfell loved the sea. To him it was full of lively interest and adventure. He must have had visions even at an early age of someday crossing the ocean to other lands. It seems he had little or no interest for the beautiful countryside. It is not surprising, therefore, that he spent most of his time out in boats, becoming more and more fascinated with the wonders of the sea.

Grenfell had no fear of the sea and was so heedless of the natural perils of the ocean that on many occasions he almost lost his life. In later years as a doctor in northern Newfoundland and Labrador he refused to listen to the advice of older and more experienced seamen. Often he went out in stormy weather in the little hospital boat when others would not attempt to go, and because of his stubbornness in the face of danger he had many narrow escapes from drowning.

Grenfell belonged to that select group of adventurers and explorers—Cabot, Columbus, Shackleton, John Glenn to name just a few—who had no fear of the dangers lying in their path as they set out to fulfill visions and make dreams come true. They were determined to go where no one had gone before and were undaunted by uncharted waters and unknown territory. Sometimes they refused to listen even to the pleadings of their companions to turn back or at least to exercise more caution. Like those others, Grenfell had his dreams.

The fishermen of Parkgate took a liking to Wilfred Grenfell. He went out in the boats with them, and was happy to share in their labours and rugged lives. But he was so careless when they were at sea that they had to watch him almost constantly for fear he would fall overboard and be drowned. Sometimes he would jump into the sea just for the fun of it. Being a good swimmer he always managed to get back to the boat. Although the more experienced fishermen were concerned for him, they also admired and respected him.

To this young and energetic adventurer every day presented some new challenge and he was always seeking new horizons. At the age of twelve he could use a gun as well as any grown man. He loved hunting along the shores of the basin where there was always an abundance of wild geese, wild ducks, curlews and numerous other birds feeding in the sand and on the marshes. He was to write about this later in his autobiography, A Labrador Doctor.

From daylight to dark I would wander, quite alone, over endless miles, entirely satisfied to come back with a single bird, and not in the least disheartened if I got none. All sense of time seemed to be lost, and often enough the sandwich and biscuit for lunch forgotten, so that I would be forced occasionally to resort to a solitary public house near a colliery on our side of the water, for “tea-biscuits,” all that they offered, except endless beer for the miners. I can even remember, when very hard driven, crossing to the Welsh side for bread and cheese.

Very often he swam out into the icy waters to retrieve his prize. This did not seem to bother him at all but rather he enjoyed it.

Many a time, just to dare it, I would dive into the very cauldron, and let the swirling current carry me to the grassy sward—along which I would run till the narrowing channel permitted my crossing to the Great Cop again. I would be drying myself in the sunshine as I went, and all ready for my scanty garments when I reached my clothing once more.

His love for the sea and hunting usually found him either in a boat or just walking along the shoreline watching for birds. This helped to develop the strong and energetic man he became, for if he had not been strong physically he would never have endured the cold and many hardships of the north.